is a 1941 canadian nickel silver

[MaryFitz]

That's an excellent question that many people wonder about when they come across older coins. Rest assured, the 1941 Canadian five-cent coin is not made of silver. Despite its bright, silvery appearance, its composition is actually pure nickel.

The key clue is right in the coin's common name. We call it a "nickel" precisely because it's made from that metal. As indicated by the Greysheet coin pricing guide, the official name for this piece is the "Canada 1941 Nickel Five Cent Coin," which directly points to its metallic content. Canada minted its five-cent pieces from 100% nickel from 1922 through 1941. It wasn't until the following year, in 1942, that the composition was changed to a brass alloy to conserve nickel for the war effort. So while other Canadian coins from that period, like dimes and quarters, are silver, your 1941 five-cent piece is a classic example of a pure nickel coin.